ARTravel: Art, Craft, and Nature in Costa Rica

BMAC is delighted to offer our sixth annual arts-focused trip to the popular eco-tourism destination of Costa Rica, a unique opportunity—limited to a maximum of 12 travelers—to experience the country’s rich and varied arts scene. 

“The trip was a wonderful experience. We got to see a variety of locales of Costa Rica; observe amazing wildlife; be introduced to terrific artists; and eat lots of delicious cuisine!”

ARTravel Costa Rica 2027 participants will explore the vibrant contemporary art, craft, and culinary scenes of Costa Rica’s capital city and then head into the countryside to sample the natural wonders of the Pacific coast and the cloud forests of the central highlands. This is an opportunity to join a small group of like-minded travelers to go beyond the standard tourist itinerary and get to know a bit more about a remarkable country that always ranks among the happiest on the planet.

Travelers will meet artists from the visual and performing arts, collectors, chefs, curators, and students. You will also travel outside the city with one of Costa Rica’s foremost naturalist guides and learn about the hundreds of species of animals and plants that populate this bridge between the North and South American continents. You will visit a coffee cooperative and see how Costa Rica’s famed Tarrazu coffee is grown, processed, and prepared.

Because the group is limited in size, you will be able to take advantage of opportunities for spontaneous interactions with Ticos, as Costa Ricans call themselves, whose friendliness and good humor are admired worldwide. Whether stopping at a roadside fruit stand or sipping a coffee or fruit smoothie at a simple soda (a small luncheonette-style eatery), these interactions are often highlights that result in lasting memories.

Your exploration will begin in the capital city of San Jose. Chepe, as the city is known to locals, holds many charms just beneath its busy urban surface. That’s exactly where you will head, with a variety of visits to artists’ studios and galleries, curator-led tours of museums, and talks on Costa Rican art history. You will visit the lovely National Theater for an insider’s tour.

“It was so well curated with each experience excellent — from the nature walks to the visits with artists. The food was fantastic, and accommodations were just great. The most enjoyable part of the trip was the people: the Costa Rican people we met and who accompanied us, the artists, the guide and driver, and the lovely group of travelers. Ken and Eve made this a very special experience.”

In addition to a full schedule of cultural activities, you will delve into San Jose’s blossoming culinary scene, where chefs are putting interesting and tasty spins on traditional Costa Rican ingredients and dishes. A burgeoning craft beer industry has sprung up in the last few years, and  you will have ample opportunities to sample the products of boutique breweries from around the country. And, of course, you will never be far from delicious fresh fruits, both familiar and exotic.

Next you will venture into the countryside, heading southwest to the beautiful Pacific coast to enjoy both the beach and tropical rain forest. Wildlife viewing opportunities abound, and your excellent naturalist guide will do birding walks every morning. A day at a private reserve protecting over 800 acres of forest, mangrove, riverbank, and beachfront will afford opportunities to see parrots, toucans, sloths, monkeys, coatis, and more. A range of activities is on offer, from easy nature walks to more vigorous hikes deeper into the forest, to an exhilarating zip line through the forest canopy. Later on, you will take a boat trip along a wildlife-rich river and visit a pre-Colombian archeological site.

From the coast you will then drive north into the mountains and cloud forest, home to the most beautiful of birds, the Resplendent Quetzal, and the most delicious of beverages, Tarrazu coffee. Throughout your stay in these areas of abundant natural wonders there will be ample flexibility in the schedule, so that if you want to do more birding or hiking—or just more relaxing—it’s always possible.

Because the arts calendar is always changing, often at the last minute, some of the visits and experiences may be different from those described here, but rest assured that there will always be interesting and fun activities to fill your days (and sometimes nights).  Our trip leader and local guides are always alert to opportunities for special activities, and accordingly the schedule and specific activities may vary slightly from those described here. Flexibility and a sense of serendipity are always rewarded in travel, and Costa Rica is no exception.

Click here for a sample itinerary from our 2026 trip. The 2027 trip will be substantially similar.

View photos from BMAC’s 2026, 2024, and 2023 ARTravel trips to Costa Rica.

PROGRAM DETAILS

Dates: January 10-21, 2027

Price per person: $5,700 for double occupancy (single supplement: $1,450), includes lodging, ground transportation, local guides and experts, museum entrance fees, most meals, and a tax-deductible donation to the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center. Some independent meals give participants a chance to sample Costa Rica’s excellent cuisine on their own.

Optional pre-trip extension: If you would like to sign up for a specially curated one-day extension prior to the main trip, please specify on your registration form. The cost of the pre-trip extension is $250 to cover BMAC’s lodging and meal costs; travelers sharing a room need only pay one pre-trip extension fee.

To register: To secure your spot on ARTravel Costa Rica 2027, complete the online registration form and pay a deposit of $800 by September 15, 2026. BMAC members and anyone who registers by July 15, 2026, will receive a discount of $150.

Getting there: The trip will begin and end in San Jose, Costa Rica, the site of the country’s major international airport (SJO). Participants should try to arrive at SJO no later than 4 p.m. on January 10 (or January 9 if you are opting into the pre-trip extension), and should arrange to fly out of SJO no earlier than the morning of January 21. An ARTravel representative will meet you at the airport in San Jose and take you to your hotel.

Note: Some flights go to Costa Rica’s other international airport in Liberia (LIR), which is several hours’ drive from San Jose and will not be a convenient arrival point for this trip.

Hotels: In San Jose you will stay in a modern, business-oriented hotel on the edge of La Sabana Park. In the highlands you will stay in a simple and comfortable nature lodge in a small mountain town; the hotel’s restaurant specializes in serving fresh trout, which is farmed nearby.

Trip Leader: Ken Klothen is a former member of BMAC’s Board of Trustees and a resident of Costa Rica. A retired lawyer and active consultant in medical ethics, Ken has traveled to Costa Rica multiple times per year for the past 30 years. When in Costa Rica, Ken lives in Uvita, in the region of the Pacific coast to be visited on this trip. He loves to show visitors some of the out-of-the-way places in his town to eat, walk, birdwatch, and swim. Having worked in San Jose, Ken is also enthusiastic about introducing visitors to its cultural and culinary delights. He has led trips for family groups to most regions of the country and has also led groups in Ireland, Cuba, Ecuador, Canada, and Germany. Ken is fluent in Spanish.

Trip Guides: Marco Fallas, one of the country’s senior naturalist guides, will be with you for the entirety of the trip. In San Jose, you will be joined by Professor Lauran Bonilla-Mechav while you experience galleries, museums and more.

Questions? Contact Sarah Weiler at 802-257-0124 x101 or office@brattleboromuseum.org.